1. Field of the Invention:
The field of invention relates to therapeutic and diagnostic teaching aids used to improve reading and speaking skills in persons dysfunctional in these areas.
2. Description of Related Art:
Teaching the learning disabled has been a field of intensive research and study for at least the past two decades. The field has expanded so rapidly that a shortage of competent teachers is painfully evident, as well as a lack of appropriate services and teaching aids. Concurrent with this growth have occurred strident and sometimes bitter controversies regarding theory and practice. Professionals from every sector of special education, general educators, physical educators, neurologists, opthamologists, pediatricians, physical therapists, psychologists, and others, have taken an active interest in the learning disability explosion. As a consequence, many theories on learning disabilities have been propounded, together with an equal number of remedies, which have often met with indifferent success. Various learning disabilities have been diagnosed to include language, visual, auditory, perceptual, and motor dysfunctions, and, less often, hyperactivity or problems with attention span and/or socialization. The one thing known with absolute certainty is that millions of children and adults are poor readers.
Many reading disabilities are now categorized as dyslexia, which is generally considered to be a minimal brain dysfunction that manifests itself in various disorders of visual perception. The symptoms generally agreed upon by specialists in the field are difficulty in spelling, reading, writing, and in processing sounds and letters. As is true with many difficult diagnoses, the numerous and variable symptoms of dyslexia are more readily identifiable than are the causes or cures. One recent breakthrough has been the discovery that reading disability is directly attributable in some cases to light sensitivity. In this form of dyslexia, the inability to process written words is believed to be caused by interference of a white background with the black imprinting. This dysfunction, which is probably perceptual rather than a defect in vision, has been hypothesized to be the difficulty of processing full-spectrum light efficiently. Helen Irlen, author of Reading by the Colors (Garden City, N.Y.: Avery Publishing Group, Inc., 1991) has called this dysfunction Scoptopic Sensitivity Syndrome (SSS). It is Irlen's contention that individuals with SSS perceive the world in a distorted way as a result of sensitivity to certain wave lengths of light, and that the mere use of colored overlays on reading materials in some cases, and the use of tinted lenses in other cases, can achieve remarkable results in reading improvement for these afflicted individuals.
There does not exist in the prior art at the present time any single solution for reading and learning disabilities, nor is it likely that there will ever be a single solution. Similarly, there is no single diagnostic process for determining the precise problem. For discussions of problems of dealing with learning disabilities and various proposed therapies, reference is made to the following: Dyslexia: Theory and Practice of Remedial Instruction, by Diana Brewster Clark, Parkton, Md.: York Press, 1988: The Upside-Down Kids: Helping Dyslexic Children Understand Themselves and Their Disorder, New York, N.Y.: M. Evans & Co., 1991; Teaching the Learning Disabled, Bill R. Gearheart, C. V. Mosby Company, 1976; Introduction to Learning Disabilities, Hallahan and Kauffman, New York: Prentice-Hall, 1976; Common Sense about Dyslexia, Anne Marshall Huston, Lanham, Md.: Madison Books, 1987; and Dyslexia, Elaine Landau, New York: F. Watts, 1991.
To a considerable degree, solutions to the various learning disabilities continue to be empirical. Good results can be obtained by practical case-by-case methods. If a method works to alleviate a particular disability, it is adopted, and, conversely, if it does not work, it is appropriately discarded.
The present invention offers a practical tool, usable either therapeutically or diagnostically, to those involved in the problems of the learning disabled.